Despite the closeness of Campaign 2000, most voters express only moderate interest in viewing the upcoming presidential debates. Just 43% of voters say they are very likely to tune in to the debates, while 53% say they are only somewhat likely or not likely to watch. That is comparable to the level of interest reflected in Pew Research Center surveys four years ago, but well below what the surveys showed in 1992, when the debates attracted larger audiences. Polls taken in advance of the debates in 1988 and 1984 also found broader enthusiasm than the current survey.
About one-in-three voters (29%) say the debates will matter in deciding how they will vote in November, while six-in-ten say they have already made up their minds. More independents than Republicans and Democrats expect their voting decisions to be influenced by the debates; fully 38% of independents say the debates will matter in deciding their votes.
A majority of Republicans (53%) say they are very likely to watch the debates, up from 45% in 1996. The level of interest among Democrats is about the same as it was four years ago (47% say they are very likely to tune in, compared to 45% in 1996). Although nearly four-in-ten independents say their voting decisions will be affected by the debates, they show less interest in the events than either Republicans or Democrats. Just one-third of independents say they are very likely to watch the debates.
More Americans age 65 and over expect to view the debates (52% very likely to watch) than younger Americans. At the opposite end of the age spectrum, just 33% of voters under age 30 say they are very likely to tune in to the debates.
